Meeting News - January 5, 2009 - Cover1

INTERNATIONAL Not deterred by Mumbai p. 21 GREEN BEAT The great compost giveaway p. 22 REGIONAL REPORT Happenings in the East p. 29 NEWSMAKER SmithBucklin executive VP Michael Payne will helm PCMA Foundation. page 8 MeetingNews w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m rd oa t/b ings mt Mg ee m J a n uJuly 5, 2009 a r y 16, 2007 Hotels & Resorts Q&A: BEAU RIVAGE IS BACK TO ITS PRE-KATRINA FORM Director of sales and marketing for the Gulf Coast casino resort is bullish despite economic climate. see page 12 Destination Insider LOS ANGELES New venues join Nokia Theatre at the City of Angels’ $2.5 billion L.A. Live destination complex; Long Beach freshens downtown with series of light displays and upgrades to convention complex. see page 26 Education/ training Extens experie ive knowle nce/ dge nal natio Inter etings me Just learning the s busines eeting Sales m s Time spent gs tin planning mee ows/ Trade sh ons conventi GAYLORD NIXES PROJECT IN SAN DIEGO FOR GOOD Upon second attempt, company gives up on Chula Vista hotel/ convention complex. see page 13 MEMPHIS A leading bioscience hub, the city attracts scores of research and association events; the famous Peabody ducks still swim in success. see page 34 Inc ent ive s Martin Akel & Assoc., with tabulations by Wilson Research Group, conducted a poll of more than 1,300 meeting planners. CVBs DATA HELPS VISIT FLORIDA HONE ITS GLOBAL TARGETS The tourism agency uses Visa’s impersonal billing tracking to decipher where visitors are from and how they spend their money. see page 16 Incentive Report FLORIDA In post-AIG climate, planners say the Sunshine State has programs with the right image and price; South Beach has new properties looking for winners; Orlando spas use exotica and more to woo more women, as well as men. see page 36 Planners Putting In the Time By Irene Korn What creates a planner? Is it a vocation, a skill, or just an accident of employment? MeetingNews discovered that it is all these and more. In conjunction with sister publication Successful Meetings, MN embarked on its most ambitious survey to date, polling more than 1,300 meeting planners to uncover the origins—and destiny—of the planning impulse. The survey, conducted in 2008 by Martin continued on page 24 Convention Centers DALLAS PICKS OMNI TO BE ANCHOR HOTEL OPERATOR Fending off a political action group against the hotel, the city is working out a final operating agreement. see page 17 Insider Report GOLF A stronger U.S. dollar lifts overseas programs, especially in perennial-favorite Scotland. see page 44 Mumbai Train Attack: Can It Happen Here? Volume 33/Number 1/$10.00 By Gretchen Kelly As authorities and pundits debate a new paradigm of terrorism after the three-day siege of Mumbai in November, security measures here in the U.S. at so-called soft targets, namely train stations, are being ramped up. But in the wake of disclosures of unpre- paredness in Mumbai, is the nation’s passenger rail system ready for an attack similar to the one that struck a Mumbai train station, which was overtaken by highly trained, armed militants? Amtrak spokespercontinued on page 20

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - January 5, 2009

Meeting News - January 5, 2009
Contents
What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com
Inside the Industry
People Making News
Hotels & Resorts
CVBs
Convention Centers
Transportation
Destination Insider
Incentive Report
Insider Report
MN Webcast Report
Ad Index
Live from the Forum

Meeting News - January 5, 2009